Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

That was beautiful Jenniehoo. I feel similarly about "religion". I was raised Southern Baptist, but there just seemed to be so much hate and op***ssion in it, i.e. drinking will send you to hell, ***marital sex will send you to hell, having friends who are non believers will send you to hell (maybe this was just from being in youth group as a teenager.) I thought if anything, wouldn't "god" want us to enjoy the things that make life beautiful? Obviously I'm not saying getting wasted and picking up a one night stand at the local dive is considered beautiful, but my particular church focused so much on the "rules" that it got in the way of what I felt should've been the focus: Life is beautiful and hard and rewarding and frustrating, and we're all in this together. I guess I consider myself agnostic as well, in that I don't believe in a traditional god, but life is too beautiful and fragile and mysterious for it to just "be".

Sorry for that random tangent everyone. I'm really curious to see The Fountain now.

Originally Posted by Yablonowitz

I want to be on the forefront of change, so when the nippless revolution starts, I'm going to lead the charge.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Originally Posted by Jenniehoo

Also, about The Fountain. I don't think I ever officially chimed in on this movie - at the time there was too much skeptic "figureitalloutism" going on - and I felt I might not be sharp enough to take part.

Honey, you're so crazy. You're extremely smart when it comes to movies, and you "get" The Fountain as much as anyone else I've ever heard discuss it. Your opinions are always based on a deep understanding of whatever movie you're watching, and trust me, you are more than capable of holding your own in discourses with your so-called "professional film critic" boyfriend.

For the record, I have never gotten paid to review a film, but for fuck's sake, somebody should pay me!

I also liked "The Break Up" for the same reasons Jennie did. It's a film of enormous - and surprising - integrity and conviction, one that does the dirty work that so many other films won't do. Like so many others, it's a movie about two people who are in a relationship, but shouldn't be; one of them decides to end it, and the movie traces them as their once-blissful union crumbles. The key, as Jennie pointed out, is that the movie doesn't invent some phony resolution to the problems that obviously run miles-deep between them. Had it ended differently - and I said this to her as we were watching it - I would have had no choice but to hate it. But this film dares to make the right choice, and it's immensely satisfying as a result.

Another reason I liked it is that Vince Vaughn is playing a different shade of his patented character. The loveable smoothie from "Swingers", the aggressively inept mobster from "Made", the stuck-in-college family man in "Old School", and the shameless p-hound in "The Wedding Crashers" are all variations on the same spectacularly rude and immature persona - which is apparently very close to Vaughn's actual personality - and in this film, they finally all get their comeuppance. This guy, a hysterically funny, unabashed prick who always dares to dream big, has met with various levels of success over the years, and now he's finally settled down with a great girl. They have a great condo, a fun lifestyle that always finds them with friends around...but there's malaise there. Vaughn's Gary, a tour guide who aspires to run the most successful city tour outfit in Chicago, has entered the phase where he stops sweet-talking and just wants a bit of the freedom that he feels entitled to as a man; meanwhile, his girlfriend Brooke - a smart, supportive woman who has no qualms about doing the heavy lifting while her man chases his dream - has found that such selflessness yields diminishing returns. She starts to realize that all the potential she once found in this guy was, essentially, smoke and mirrors; that the vaguely hostile and arrogant tendencies she views as defense mechanisms may never come down. Fights compound each other until she makes a desperate move, pulling the plug on their relationship and launching a power struggle for a condo - and a lifestyle - that neither of them want to give up.

As I was saying earlier, it's fascinating for me, as a longtime fan of Vaughn's schtick, to see his character developed in this direction - to see the true penalties that can accompany the kind of bluster and irresponsibility that makes his characters tick. I also found the movie interesting from the standpoint of someone who has never gone through a nasty break-up like this; I felt like it did a great job of showing the power of the insults that people who love each other can whip out in the heat of an argument, as well as the narcissism at work when such conflicts involve people outside the relationship (such as mutual friends, or targets of calculated jealousy). It's a film that will not make you laugh as much as you may have expected or desired, but it'll absolutely make you consider things that almost no Hollywood films would even dream of addressing.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Oh wow. I just watched the "Love Conquers All" version of Brazil.

I hated that so much. The first time I saw Brazil i missed the ending, so I picked up a copy of Brazil that was sitting around at a movie theatre. It was that version and when I watched it I felt like punching someone it was so bad. It was like watching someone's youtube parody remix of the movie.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I second The Fountain being the best of 2006 (without contest). It required the viewer to put forth themselves rather than be able to deduce the story by it being spoonfed to them. It is easily one of the decade's best as well.

The Departed was EASILY Scorsese's worse film of the decade, it was good and nothing more, but Children of Men was quite something.

Children of Men, Idiocracy, Borat, Half-Nelson, The Prestige and Superman Returns would also be worth mentioning.

On a semi-related note, Aronofsky is going to make a thriller about two rival ballet dancers. That dude's ambitious and way talented.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

saw pan's yesterday and i really loved it! i just want to know why people think it's ok to bring their babies to the movies, WTF?!?! the little girl was great though, i normally hate child actors, but she was very good. i was impressed with mercedes too.

i also hate the whole "let's release movies in LA in december so they're technically 2006 movies" cause i saw both pan's and children of men this year and will always think of them as 2007 movies.

and i liked the aviator more than the departed. i like the way scorsese portrays the past i guess. i liked the departed, but it wasn't amazing and i'll be kinda annoyed if this is his "oscar year", just becaues he hasn't gotten one before. he should have won for goodfellas. also, nicholson wasn't playing anything new, it was the same role he plays in most of his movies. i was impressed with leo though.

Last edited by chairmenmeow47; 01-22-2007 at 08:46 AM.

Originally Posted by malcolmjamalawesome

It's when we discuss Coachella that we are at our collective dipshittiest.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

"The Fountain" was absolutely the best movie I saw last year, and one of the best ever - a visionary film that, like Izzi's character as eulogized in the movie by Ellen Burstyn, achieved a measure of grace equaled by few others. Thematically, narratively, visually, aurally - it was a masterpiece in every sense. It was the exact kind of experience that I dream of having every time I set foot in a movie theater. And my love for it is definitely compounded by the fact that I waited six years to see it, I went in expecting it to floor me, and I left saying to myself, "He did it. He fucking did it".

That's not to take away from any of the other films of last year. "Children of Men" was one of the most stunningly realized films I've ever seen, a new pinacle in the art of constructing chaos and despair that also never forgot to keep a human heart beating. "The Departed" was a brilliantly clenched fist, and easily my favorite Scorsese since "GoodFellas", and I say that as a big fan of "Casino", "Bringing Out the Dead", and "Gangs of New York". "Babel" was a film so immense, so stunning in its scope that it took two viewings for me to get it. "L' Enfant" was a jaw-dropping triumph of naturalism and human insight that fit perfectly next to the Cassavetes fetish I developed over the course of the year.

But in the end, one movie will always define 2006 for me, and that movie will always be "The Fountain".

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Let's hear pot's top 5.

Originally Posted by ByTheWay,

If anyone raped or molested my wife or child i'd off them myself so I guess it doesn't matter. If you don't feel those type of emotions in that situation then that is you and in my opinion makes you a twisted person from a twisted state (UTAH) if that is where your from!

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

That's the point.

Originally Posted by ByTheWay,

If anyone raped or molested my wife or child i'd off them myself so I guess it doesn't matter. If you don't feel those type of emotions in that situation then that is you and in my opinion makes you a twisted person from a twisted state (UTAH) if that is where your from!

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Brick was fucking awesome.

I want to see Tideland.

Originally Posted by ByTheWay,

If anyone raped or molested my wife or child i'd off them myself so I guess it doesn't matter. If you don't feel those type of emotions in that situation then that is you and in my opinion makes you a twisted person from a twisted state (UTAH) if that is where your from!

Speaking of crap. I was forced to watch THE HITCHER today due to unfortunate circumstances. Formulaic nonsense ass you'd all expect. However it was fun to ridicule it & scream at the screen. Plus, Sophia Bush is cute. (Don't ever go pay to see this film!)

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I'm glad "Letters From Iwo Jima" got so many nominations*, but for fook's sake, they couldn't have found even one nomination anywhere for "The Fountain"? When Aronofsky picks up his lifetime achievement award 40 years from now, this year is going to look pretty paltry.

I love the fact that "Dreamgirls" - a movie that people have been talking up as an Oscar heavyweight since the summer - didn't even get a nod for Best Picture.

* - Not to be taken literally.

Also - Pot's got a really good Top 10 list. I wholly disagree with him on "Babel" being crap and "Lady Vengeance" being good - I am definitely in the "Park's worst film, FAR too simplistic" camp - but "Brick", "The Proposition", "New World" (2005 though it may be), "Vendetta", and "Scanner" are all terrific.

I will definitely be seeing "Tideland" and "Marie Antoinette" when they are released on DVD.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

they couldn't have found even one nomination anywhere for "The Fountain"? When Aronofsky picks up his lifetime achievement award 40 years from now, this year is going to look pretty paltry.

I know! Not even for cinematography or score! The movie was so incredibly beautiful, and the music haunts me everywhere. I just don't see how they could completely ignore The Fountain. My husband and I both agree that Hugh Jackman should have at least gotten nominated as best actor, if not won, and OF COURSE the director should have been nominated.

I'm just disgusted with the Oscars this year. I don't think I've seen any of the nominated films yet because I thought my favorites would have been nominated (except I did see Pan's Labyrinth which got some nominations).